Impact Rodents Can Have On Your Business

Every business owner knows that having pests invade is not fun. It can mean anything from a few nuisance flies disturbing people to a few thousand cockroaches shutting the place down. There are many pests that can cause issues for a business, some of the most common being mosquitoes, termites, pest birds, and wasps. But none of these (we think you will agree) are quite as disturbing as a rat or mouse scampering underfoot. No matter what business you're in, it is never a good idea to allow rodents to have free reign.

How Rodents Can Hurt Your Restaurant

Keep in mind that many of the negative effects listed below can cross over from one type of business to another. Rodents, in general, are simply bad business.

Rodents will chew into food packaging. They may start out by chewing into wood, sheetrock, and other materials to get into a structure, but once they're inside, they will gnaw through any and all types of food packaging. And they don't just chew on those stored foods, they leave their droppings everywhere they go. This can affect your bottom line as more and more food will need to be thrown away because of spoilage and/or contamination.

Rodents crawl around in filthy places, and then crawl around on your floors, food storage areas, and food prep surfaces, spreading harmful bacteria, such as salmonella. This is only one of the illnesses rodents can transmit with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, aching and dizziness.

The presence of rodents can cause morale to drop. Restaurant work is stressful enough without the added headache of seeing rodents or the signs they leave behind. Rodent sightings can cause employees to not want to come to work and, if they do come, it can cause nervousness and a decline in productivity, among other negative effects.

A rodent sighting will negatively affect customer satisfaction. Not only can mice and rats make your customers sick, which can prompt a bad review on social media, when there is a rodent sighting, it can cause an individual or a group to make the decision to never return.

How Rodents Negatively Affect Grocery Stores

Rodents can chew through sheetrock to make their way into food storage locations. They prefer to nest inside areas that are as close to food sources as possible and may have several entrance points.

The presence of rodents can lead to failed inspections. All businesses need to stay within health and safety guidelines and not too many things will close down a business faster than a rodent infestation.

Rodents will taint the reputation of a grocery store. If one rodent is seen scurrying around out back or, worse, in the store, you can be sure that word will get around.

How Rodents Negatively Affect Hotels/Motels

Rodents spread parasites. Mice and rats crawl around outside and pick up all kinds of parasites. And if they have taken up residence inside your hotel or motel, they will bring those pests inside with them. So not only will you be dealing with rodents, but mites, ticks, and fleas as well.

Rodents mark their territory. Both mice and rats urinate and defecate everywhere they roam. Not only will this alert guests to their presence if they see droppings around, but, if left unchecked, this will cause a smell to develop. The droppings of rodents can also cause the spread of disease.

Rodents can inspire low reviews. It used to be that word of mouth could taint your reputation but, in today's world, one bad experience can lead to a bad online review, which can go much further, and last much longer, in negatively impacting a business.

The negative effects of having rodents invade your business, no matter what type of business you may have, are far-reaching. But this kind of disaster can be avoided. With ongoing pest control from a qualified pest control company, such as Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions, all of these types of businesses can be safe from the destructive nature of rodents, and a whole host of other damaging pests. Reach out to Rottler today with questions or to set up service.